Projectile fire extinguishing device



1962 J. PEARSON ET AL PROJECTILE FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 1, 1960 INVENT0R.5- JOHN L. psqeso Tax/1v 5- 0444 Nov. 27, 1962 J. PEARSON ETAL 3,065,798

PROJECTILE FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1. 1960 LNVENTURJ J'Ol-l/V L. P534950 B-OHN 5- R444 Nov. 27, 1962 J. PEARSON ETAL 3,065,793

PROJECTILE FIRE EXTINGUISHING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 1, 1960 INVENTORJ JOHN psnemo-, JOHN 5. 9444 BY Arm/van! 3,%5,793 Patented Nov. 2'7, 1962 Y 1 fine 3 065 7598 PROJECTILE FmE EXTINGUISG DEVICE John L. Pearson, Ignacio, Colo and John E. Rail, Farina iRngton, N. Mex.; said Pearson assignor to said John E.

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Filed July 1, 1960, Ser. No. 40,387 Ciaims. (El. 169-36) The present invention relates to a device for extinguishing fires from a distance.

The storage of petroleum products, exposive materials, or the like, present many hazards, chief of which is fire. Oil and gas storage tank farms are particularly vulnerable to fire hazards and when a fire occurs in a storage tank used for oil, gas or other petroleum products, the use of water is prohibited to extinguish the fire. In place of Water, fire extinguishing chemicals are substituted. A difficulty arises when the nature of the fire extinguishing chemical is considered. Such fire extinguishing chemicals are relatively bulky, must be used in large quantities in order to extinguish an average fire, have considerable weight, and are difiicult to properly spread at the base of a fire with presently in use equipment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for extinguishing fires in highly inflammable material or exposive material from a distance, the device being operable without subjecting humans to fire hazards, and the device being operable to spread fire extinguishing chemicals in sufiicient quantity at the base of a fire to thereby extinguish the fire no matter how great a fire it may be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fire extinguishing device which may be transported from a place of storage to the fire with ease and facility and which may be projected into an area of fire with accuracy, efficiency, and with great rapidity.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a fire extinguishing device which is with ease and facility altered so as to be adaptable for penetrating either metal tanks, relatively soft walls such as the walls of a residence, and one which may be employed to spray a fire extinguishing chemical on a ground surface at the base of a fire, as desired.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a projectile fire extinguishing device which can be made in any size found practical for fighting fires of various sizes, one which lends itself to manufacture at reasonable cost and in large quantities, one which is relatively safe to store and transport, and which is highly effective in action.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which:

-FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a lunching device to be employed in projecting the fire extinguishing device of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an isometric view of the fire extinguishing device of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a View on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view taken on the line 44 of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG- UR'E 4;

FIGURE 6 is a view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG- URE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG URE 4;

FIGURE 8 is a view on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 88 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 8 showing the 2 projectile in a condition of expelling the fire extinguishing material; I

FIGURE 10 is a view taken on the line lltl10 of FIG- URE 8, and on an enlarged scale;

[FIGURE 11 is a view on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 11-41 of FIGURE 8; and,

FIGURE 12 is a view on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 12-12 of FIGURE 8.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, in FIGURE 1 the numeral 20 designates generally a launcher for the fire extinguishing device which is shown in FIGURE 2 and designated by the numeral 22.

The launcher 26 consists in a base 24 onwhich is surmounted a tube 26 having a rearward closed end 28. The tube 26 is mounted upon a block 36 which is rotatably mounted in the upper end of the base 24. A relatively large gear 32 is connected to one end of the block 30 and is in mesh with a smaller gear 34 rotatably mounted upon a bracket 36 which depends from the upper end of the base 24. A crank 38 is connected to the shaft 46 on which the gear 34 is secured and is hand operable to rotate the gear 34- and thereby, by rotation of the gear 32, tilt the tube 26 upwardly or downwardly, with respect to a supporting surface.

With reference to FIGURE 4, inwardly of the rearward end of the tube 26 is a first partition 42 and a second partition 44 spaced from the partition 42. A sleeve 46 is positioned centrally of the tube 26 and is supported upon the partitions 42 and 44.

Slidably supported in the sleeve 46 is a plunger 48 having a pointed end 56 on the forward end and a head 52 on the rearward end. .A spring 54 biases the plunger 48 rearwardly so that the head 52 is adjacent to and protected by a removable plate element 56.

Fixedly mounted by one end to the closed end 28 of the tube 26 is a rigid bar 58 having its free end adjacent to and spaced from the plate element 56. On the bar 58 is slidable a striking element 60 biased to the position adjacent the plate element 56 by a relatively stiff coil spring 62. The spring 62 is circumposed about the portion of the bar 58 rearwardly of the element 66 and has one end bearing against the element 66 and the other end bearing against the tube end 28.

An operating handle 6 projects from one side of the striking element 60 and has its free end exteriorly of the tube 26, as shown in FIGURE 6.

A set screw 66 is threaded through the side of the sleeve 26 and has its free end riding in a groove 68 provided in the plunger 48 for limiting the movement of the plunger 48 and preventing it from leaving the sleeve 46 when the tube 26 is tilted so that its forward end is downwardly.

The forward end portion of the striking element 66 is slidably carried in a support 76 which has its ends secured to the inner walls of the tube 26, as shown in FIGURE 5. Forwardly of the plunger 43 and partition 4-4 is a curved partition having a hole in the center thereof, the partition being shown best in FIGURE 4 and designated by the numeral 72. The partition 72 is shaped to fit the rearward end of the gas bottle 74 of the device 22. The gas bottle 74 has at its rearward end a nozzle 76 closed by a frangible plate 78 and when the device 22 is within the tube 26, the nozzle 76 projects through the opening in the partition 72 so as to be in alignment with and adjacent the end 50 of the plunger 48.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the handle 64 on the striking element 60 projects outwardly of the tube 26 through a slot 86, the slot 86 having a vertical portion 82 at the rear end thereof for locking the handle 64 in position when the striking element 60 is moved to a cocked position.

With reference now to FIGURES 8 to 12, inclusive, the

device 22 comprises an elongated tubular casing 84 having a closed rearward end 86 and an open forward end 88.

A closed cylinder 98 is disposed within the casing 84 and is spaced from the wall of the casing 84. The cylinder 90 has one end wall adjacent the forward open end 88 of the casing 84 and has the other end wall adjacent to and spaced from the casing closed end 86. The forward end of the cylinder 98 is designated by the numeral 92 and the rearward end by the numeral 94. The rearward end 94 is fabricated of a frangible material so that a supply of inert gas under pressure contained within the cylinder 90 may be expelled therefrom when the cylinder end 94 is penetrated by a sharp implement.

The cylinder 90 is slidably supported within the casing 84 in a spider 96 (FIGURE 11) for limited movement toward and away from the open end 88 of the casing 84.

A tube 98 is positioned between the frangible end 94 of the cylinder 90 and the closed rearward end 86 of the casing 84 and has one end fixedly secured and supported by the closed end 86 of the casing 84.

The free end of the tube 98 is contiguous to and spaced from the frangible cylinder end 94 and is sharpened to a point or knife edge, as shown most clearly in FIG- URE 9.

The end portion of the tube 98 adjacent the closed end 86 of the casing 84 is provided with a plurality of spaced egress openings, as at 100 in FIGURE 9, each opening 100 slanting outwardly and toward the rear so that gas ejected through the tube 98 is directed primarily against the casing closed end 86.

The tube 98 is supported intermediate its ends by a spider 102 and by a spider 104 adjacent the forward end. A coil spring 106 is circumposed about the free end of the tube 98 and has one end bearing against the spider 1G4 and the other end bearing against the adjacent end of the cylinder 90 for biasing the cylinder 90 to the forward position.

A perforated hollow nose 108 projects from and is in communication with the forward open end 88 of the casing 84 and is suitably engaged thereon. A rotary valve structure 110, employing a fixed plate 112 and a rotatable plate 114, is interposed between the nose 108 and the open end of the casing 84. As shown in FIGURE 12, the plates 112 and 114 have registering openings 116 when the valve is in open condition.

Normally the valve is closed until the device 22 is ready for launching from the launcher 20. I-Iandgrip means is provided extcriorly of the nose 108 and is operatively connected to the valve plate 114 for manually shifting the valve from the closed position to the open position. This means consists in a flat bar 118 having a slot at one end fitting over a fiat pin 128, as shown in FIGURE 12. The other end of the bar 118 is exteriorly of the nose 108 and is forwardly turned, as at 122 in FIG- URE 8, to provide means for grasping and pulling the bar 118 outwardly so that the plate 114 may be rotated relative to the plate 112.

An actuator 124 is positioned exteriorly of and adjacent the front of the nose 108 and is connected to the cylinder 90 by a rigid rod 126 for movement with the cylinder 98. The rod 126 is provided with a transverse hole through which extends a safety key or pin 128 which holds the actuator 124 in a position forwardly of and spaced from the nose 188.

A plurality of fins 138, fabricated of relatively soft material such as aluminum or the like, are positioned exteriorly of the casing 84 and serve to control the movement of the casing 84 when it is projected through the air.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a ring 132 projecting outwardly of the casing end 86 and a collar 134 circumposed about the casing 84 forwardly of the ring 132 and fabricated of a relatively soft metal such as lead or the like.

The gas bottle 74, constituting a rocket propulsion 4 engine, is carried by the casing end 86 and its shell may be fabricated integrally with the casing 84 if found practical.

In use, the space within the casing 84 between the cylinder 98 and the inner wall of the casing 84 is completely filled with a fire extinguishing material, such as potassium bicarbonate or the like, in a finely divided or powdered state. The cylinder is filled with an inert gas such as carbon dioxide under high pressure.

The gas bottle 74 is adapted to contain a charge of a propellant gas such as nitrogen under high pressure.

The gas bottle 74 is provided with fins 136 on the exterior thereof which, with the fins 130, support the device 22 when positioned within the launcher 20.

When the device 22 is placed within the launcher 20, through the open front end of the latter, it is handled carefully and without application of any force to the actuator 124. Before it is slid to the position in which the rearward end of the bottle 74 rests against the curved partition 72, as in FIGURE 4, first the bar 118 is grasped by its end 122 and pulled outwardly to serve as a handle. Next, the plate 114 is shifted so that its openings are in registry with the openings in the plate 112 and the bar 118 is then again pushed back the length of its sliding movement of the slot in the bar 118 over the pin 120.

The bar 118 now does not protrude out of the nose 108 and the pin 128 may be pulled to release the cylinder for sliding movement.

Next, the device 22 is pushed rearwardly to the limit of its movement within the launcher 20 and the crank 38 is turned to tilt the launcher 28 to the proper elevation as determined by certain indicia (not shown) on the large gear 32 corresponding to the distance the device 22 is to be propelled.

The next step in preparing to launch the device 22 is to pull backwardly upon the handle 64 and to depress the handle 64 into the slot portion 82. This compresses the spring 62 and cocks the striking element 60. Next, the plate element 56 is grasped by the portion which protrudes outwardly of the tube 26 and the plate element 56 is withdrawn from the launcher.

To fire the launcher 20, all that is necessary now is to flick the handle 64 upwardly out of the slot portion 82 and permit the same to travel forwardly under the reaction of the spring 62 so that the forward end of the striking element 60 imparts sudden forward movement of the plunger 48 into engagement with and penetration of the frangible plate 78 closing the rearward end of the bottle 74.

Upon escape of the gas in the bottle 74 the device 22 is projected forwardly out of the tube 26 and into the area of the fire. If the fire is within a tank, the wall of which is shown in FIGURE 9 and designated by the numeral 138, the casing 84 will enter the tank until the collar 134 engages the tank wall adjacent the opening. Simultaneously, the actuator 124 will move backwardly and force the cylinder 90 against the sharpened end of the tube 98, releasing the compressed gas within the cylinder 90 and ejecting the same outwardly of the tube openings to force the fire extinguishing material, as at in FIGURE 9, forwardly and outwardly of the openings in the nose 108 and discharge the same in the area of the fire to put the fire out.

The provision of the lead collar 134 stops the device 22 from entirely entering the oil tank 138 and supports the device 22 on the tank wall above the fire.

It is to be understood that the ring 132 and the collar 134 may be omitted in another form of the invention so that the projectile fire extinguisher will entirely enter a building or wall and leave a hole therethrough. for ventilating the fire. This is especially important when it is desirable to relieve gas pressure or pressure from combustible materials in certain instances of fire.

Alternatively, instead of the pointed nose 108, a blunt nose may be substituted so that the projectile extinguisher can be propelled through a relatively soft surface such as the wall of a residence or may be propelled against an outside wall where a fire may be spreading over a ground surface or over materials piled upon the ground surface.

While only a single embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, other embodiments are contemplated and the invention may be constructed in such sizes as are desirable for the purposes intended and the quantities of propelling gas and fire extinguishing material may be altered as found practical. Additionally, changes may be made in the structure of the invention and the method of propelling the same over a ground surface to a fire may be altered without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a projectile fire extinguishing device, an elongated tubular casing having an open forward end and a closed rearward end, a closed cylinder disposed within said casing and spaced from the wall thereof and having one end wall adjacent the forward open end of said casing and having the other end wall adjacent to and spaced from the rearward closed end of said casing, said other end wall of said cylinder being frangible, means mounting said cylinder in said casing for limited movement toward and away from the forward open end of said casing, an inert gas under pressure contained in said cylinder, a tube positioned between said frangible other end wall of said cylinder and said closed rearward end of said casing and having one end fixedly supported upon said closed rearward end of said casing and having the other end contiguous to and spaced from said frangible other end wall of said cylinder, said other end of said tube being shaped to knife edge, there being a plurality of spaced egress openings in the portion of said tube adjacent said one end thereof, a perforated hollow nose projecting from and in communication with the forward open end of said casing, a fire extinguishing material in a finely divided state filling the space in said casing surrounding said cylinder and tube, and an actuator exteriorly of and adjacent the front of said nose and connected to said cylinder for movement therewith, said device being operable when propelled in flight to cause the actuator to engage an object and sequentially move the cylinder away from the forward open end of said casing, induce the frangible end wall to be penetrated by the knife edge of said tube, permit the ejection of the gas under pressure from the cylinder through the tube and out of the opening into the surrounding fire extinguishing material, and forcibly direct the extinguishing material from the casing into the nose and be discharged through the openings in the nose.

2. In a projectile fire extinguishing device, an elongated tubular casing having an open forward end and a closed rearward end, a closed cylinder disposed within said casing and spaced from the wall thereof and having one end wall adjacent the forward open end of said casing and having the other end wall adjacent to and spaced from the rearward closed end of said casing, said other end wall of said cylinder being frangible, means mounting said cylinder in said casing for limited movement toward and away from the forward open end of said casing, spring means operatively connected to said cylinder biasing the latter toward the forward open end of said casing, an inert gas under pressure contained in said cylinder, a tube positioned between said frangible other end wall of said cylinder and said closed rearward end of said casing and having one end fixedly supported upon said closed rearward end of said casing and having the other end contiguous to and spaced from said frangible other end wall of said cylinder, said other end of said tube being shaped to knife edge, there being a plurality of spaced egress openings in the portion of said tube adjacent said one end thereof, a perforated hollow nose projecting 6 from and in communication with the forward open end of said casing, a fire extinguishing material in a finely divided state filling the space in said casing surrounding said cylinder and tube, and an actuator exteriorly of and adjacent the front of said nose and connected to said cylinder for movement therewith, said device being operable when propelled in flight to cause the actuator to engage an object and sequentially move the cylinder away from the forward open end of said casing, induce the frangible end wall to be penetrated by the knife edge of said tube, permit the ejection of the gas under pressure from the cylinder through the tube and out of the opening into the surrounding fire extinguishing material, and forcibly direct the extinguishing material from the casing into the nose and be discharged through the openings in the nose.

3. In a projectile fire extinguishing device, an elongated tubular casing having an open forward end and a closed rearward end, a closed cylinder disposed within said casing and spaced from the wall thereof and having one end wall adjacent the forward open end of said casing and having the other end wall adjacent to and spaced from the rearward closed end of said casing, said other end wall of said cylinder being frangible, means mounting said cylinder in said casing for limited movement toward and away from the forward open end of said casing, an inert gas under pressure contained in said cylinder, a tube positioned between said frangible other end wall of said cylinder and said closed rearward end of said casing and having one end fixedly supported upon said closed rearward end of said casing and having the other end contiguous to and spaced from said frangible other end wall of said cylinder, said other end of said tube being shaped to knife edge, there being a plurality of spaced egress openings in the portion of said tube adjacent said one end thereof, a perforated hollow nose projecting from and in communication with the forward open end of said casing, a normally closed rotary valve interposed between said casing forward end and said nose and manually shiftable to open position, hand grip means exteriorly of said nose operatively connected to said valve, a fire extinguishing material in a finely divided state filling the space in said casing surrounding said cylinder and tube, and an actuator exteriorly of and adjacent the front of said nose and connected to said cylinder for movement therewith, said device being operable when propelled in flight to cause the actuator to engage an object and sequentially move the cylinder away from the forward open end of said casing, induce the frangible end wall to be penetrated by the knife edge of said tube, permit the ejection of the gas under pressure from the cylinder through the tube and out of the opening into the surrounding fire extinguishing material, and forcibly direct the extinguishing material from the casing into the nose and be discharged through the openings in the nose.

4. A projectile fire extinguishing device comprising an elongated tubular casing having an open forward end and a closed rearward end, a closed cylinder disposed within said casing and spaced from the wall thereof and having one end wall adjacent the forward open end of said casing and having the other end wall adjacent to and spaced from the rearward closed end of said casing, said other end wall of said cylinder being frangible, means mounting said cylinder in said casing for limited movement toward and away from the forward open end of said casing, an inert gas under pressure contained in said cylinder, a tube positioned between said frangible other end wall of said cylinder and said closed rearward end of said casing and having one end fixedly supported upon said closed rearward end of said casing and having the other end contiguous to and spaced from said frangible other end wall of said cylinder, said other end of said tube being shaped to knife edge, there being a plurality of spaced egress openings in the portion of said tube adjacent said one end thereof, a perforated hollow nose projecting from and in communication with the forward open end of said casing, a fire extinguishing material in a finely divided state filling the space in said casing surrounding said cylinder and tube, an actuator exteriorly of and adjacent the front of said nose and connected to said cylinder for movement therewith, said device being operable when propelled in flight to cause the actuator to engage an object and sequentially move the cylinder away from the forward open end of said casing, induce the frangible end wall to be penetrated by the knife edge of said tube, permit the ejection of the gas under pressure from the cylinder through the tube and out of the opening into the surrounding fire extinguishing material, and forcibly direct the extinguishing material from the casing into the nose and be discharged through the openings in the nose, and means exteriorly of and carried by said casing rearward closed end for propelling said easing into an area of a fire to be extinguished.

5. A projectile fire extinguishing device comprising an elongated tubular casing having an open forward end and a closed rearward end, a closed cylinder disposed within said casing and spaced from the wall thereof and having one end wall adjacent the forward open end of said casing and having the other end wall adjacent to and spaced from the rearward closed end of said casing, said other end wall of Said cylinder being frangible, means mounting said cylinder in said casing for limited movement toward and away from the forward open end of said casing, an inert gas under pressure contained in said cylinder, a tube positioned between said frangible other end wall of said cylinder and said closed rearward end of said casing and having one end fixedly supported upon said closed rearward end of said casing and having the other end contiguous to and spaced from said frangible other end wall of said cylinder, said other end of said 3 tube being shaped to knife edge, there being a plurality of spaced egress openings in the portion of said tube adjacent said one end thereof, a perforated hollow nose projecting from and in communication with the forward open end of said casing, a fire extinguishing material in a finely divided state filling the space in said casing surrounding said cylinder and tube, an actuator exteriorly of and adjacent the front of said nose and connected to said cylinder for movement therewith, said device being operable when propelled in flight to cause the actuator to engage an object and sequentially move the cylinder away from the forward open end of said casing, induce the frangible end wall to be penetrated by the knife edge of said tube, permit the ejection of the gas under pressure from the cylinder through the tube and out of the opening into the surrounding fire extinguishing material, and forcibly direct the extinguishing material from the casing into the nose and be discharged through the openings in the nose, and means embodying a rocket propulsion engine exteriorly of and carried by said casing rearward closed end for propelling said easing into an area of a fire to be extinguished References fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 789,355 Chisholm May 9, 1905 2,703,527 Hansen Mar. 8, 1955 2,813,753 Roberts NOV. 19, 1957 2,957,468 Enfield Oct. 25, 1960 2,964,031 Dotson Dec. 13, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 644,598 France Oct. 10, 1928 

